Podcast: Through a Dog's Ear with Lisa Spector

Have you ever wondered how dogs hear differently than us or how music can help calm your high strung companion? Tonight's guest on Raising Indiana is Lisa Spector, a Julliard graduate and concert pianist of international acclaim.

Lisa has taken her classical music training to the canine world with 'Through a Dog's Ear', a collection of CD's to soothe your puppy's anxious soul. Her CDs have increased adoption rates in over 1,400 shelters we can personally attest to their effectiveness.

Boston is notorious for being one of the noisiest cities in the country and to make matters worse, our basecamp in Winthrop lies in the path of Logan Airport. The Canine Companion Vol 2 has been a goodsend in our house.

This is the first of two podcasts with Lisa and the next one will air at our scheduled time Tuesday May 1st at 8PM EST. Between now and then, if you post comments about your experiences with music and your companion or what band or genre your dog prefers, a randomly selected poster will receive one of Lisa's CDs. We will announce the winner when we air Episode 2.

Podcast: Vaccinations with Dr Jean Dodds

So you think you know a thing or two about vaccines? I did but turns out I didn't until I interviewed Dr. Jean Dodds who's been studying vaccinations in companion animals for over four decades. Dr. Dodds is also the founder of, Hemopet, the

world's first private non-profit animal blood bank which now services over 2000 vet clinics in the U.S.and Canada.

But tonight on Raising Indiana, our focus is entirely on the W's of vaccinating your dog. At what age, how often, why, what are the risks, and why the controversy?  We'll try to get to the most pressing issues on this episode.

Dr. Dodds' Vaccine Protocols can be found here 

Changes

I've had to simplify and focus my efforts as of late which will impact, in a small way, Raising Indiana.  To learn more about that, please read http://2dogs2000miles.blogspot.com/2012/03/i-am-2-dogs-2000-miles.html

1. We're moving the podcast schedule from every Thursday to every other Tuesday at 8 PM EST starting  April 3rd with Dr. Jean Dodds with Hemopet.  

2. Sheila Rinks is no longer affiliated with Raising Indiana.  We thank her for helping launch the podcasts and wish her very well on her new life endeavors.  

3. We will have a co-host(s) moving forward and we hope to develop more creative and controversial content for the podcasts.  We feel the show needs a new direction to best serve our audience.  

4. The Finding Fuzzybutt Four blog will be shutting down.  After we adopted little Indy, my original vision was to help find homes for other rescued Pyrenees and mixes and be a resource for new parents.  I think we accomplished that but there are other more effective sites out there.  Thank you to all of the many contributors to the engaging and informative content.  

Tune in Tuesday for the next episode of Raising Indiana.  

Keep the faith & puppy up & support your local shelter or rescue!

Podcast: Linda Westin and PET Care Campus

We're honored to have tonight's guest, Linda Westin the President of Friends of Cookeville Putnam County Animals to talk about their P.E.T. Care Campus, a state-of-the-art shelter pet utopia that's in the works.  

As I mentioned in my previous blog, Raising Indiana is undergoing some changes. Stay posted!

Update and Piedmont Dog Park Videos

No podcast tonight as we're making some changes to Raising Indiana.  In the interim, please enjoy some videos shot recently at Piedmont Park in Atlanta GA, one of the most expansive off-leash dog parks we've ever been to on our travels. 

I was so absolutely if not astonishingly pleased with how well socialized the baby 'Moose' has become and it was like it was my snowflake's first day of school.  You see, all of the wise and wizened trainers, dog psychologists, and other people who have dope slapped me in the head have helped produce tremendous results and our relationship becomes richer by the day.  Thanks and the podcast will return next week as well other exciting news.  

Even when this little guy, Ramses starts butt humping Indiana and does it over and over again due to an inattentive father, Indy keeps his cool.  What a good kid!

Podcast: Ticks and Vectra 3D

As spring swiftly approaches, it's time to start thinking about protecting our companions from fleas and ticks. I'm very grateful to have tonight as our guest on Raising Indiana Dr. Cathy Ball who heads Research and Development at Summit Vet Pharm.

Our paths first crossed when we were walking through Ohio at a time when it was the worst tick season on record and every day I pulled dozens of the nasty little buggers off Hudson and Murphy every day. The nights in our tent were sleepless as I was constantly picking them out of my hair and off my body.

There was a time when I thought 2 Dogs 2000 Miles might just end in Ohio and then we were introduced to Vectra 3D, the flagship product of Summit Vet Pharm and never had a tick problem again. I know the product well and am a advocate of its effectiveness.

Tonight's podcast is important because whether you use Vectra or whatever solution, you need to protect your companions from ticks as they are vectors for deadly and debilitating diseases. Dr. Ball talks at length just exactly which ones your dogs may be exposed to.

Podcast: Nature's Variety and The Ancestral Diet

Last week we talked with Dr. Jackie Obando about integrative medicine and diet and nutrition and about Nature's Variety, a company I feel very passionate about.

What I find most fascinating about this company is their pursuit of a dog's ancestral diet.  

Jill Gainer, the Director of Communications at Nature's Variety, is here to talk with us about their mission and their extensive product line of kibble, raw, canned, bones, & treats. I mean man, they're like the 31 flavors of Baskin Robbins for puppy dogs.

In the interest of disclosure, Hudson, who has suffered from severe food allergies, is on Nature's Variety Instinct, and it seems it is one of the only dog foods he can tolerate.